As Bristol Rovers prepare to welcome Tranmere Rovers to The Memorial Stadium on Saturday, here are five players who have represented both clubs.
The Pirates have lost back-to-back fixtures in Sky Bet League Two and will be looking to get back to winning ways at home after losing 4-0 to Milton Keynes Dons at The Mem last time out.
Before the disappointing defeat to MK Dons, Rovers had won three straight fixtures at home and will be hopeful of finding their feet again against a Tranmere team that has been winless in seven Sky Bet League Two matches.
Before the fixture at The Mem, take a look at these five players who have played for the Gas and Tranmere.
Aaron Collins
It would be fair to say that Collins made more of an impression at the Gas than he did at Tranmere. Signed by Wolves after coming through Newport County's academy, the striker had several loan spells away from the Premier League team, with Tranmere the second of five consecutive temporary moves away from the club. In the 2016/17 season, he went on loan to Sky Bet League Two outfit Notts County, scoring twice in 18 games. The striker then moved to Tranmere in March, scoring once in two games in the National League. His only strike came in his debut against Solihull Moors in a 9-0 victory.
Loans to Maidstone United, Newport and Colchester United followed before Collins switched to Morecambe permanently in February 2019, scoring eight times in 15 Sky Bet League Two matches to earn a move to Forest Green Rovers and the end of the season. The forward netted 14 times across two campaigns, with the Pirates signing him on a two-year deal in 2021 when his contract expired at the Green Devils.
He enjoyed a memorable first season with the Pirates. He scored 16 goals in Sky Bet League Two, netting a hat-trick in a comeback win over Rochdale to keep the Pirates' promotion hopes alive heading into the final day of the campaign, before scoring twice in the Pirates' 7-0 triumph over Scunthorpe United at The Mem to help the Gas to promotion. Collins matched his scoring record the following year, hitting the back of the net 16 times in 46 Sky Bet League One matches and was named the League One Player of the Season and Bristol Rovers Player of the Year.
He then played 27 matches and scored three goals in the 2023/24 term before moving to Bolton Wanderers in February 2024 for an undisclosed fee. He netted 20 goals in 64 league outings before switching to Milton Keynes Dons in the last summer transfer window.
Mark McChrystal
McChrystal came through Wolverhampton Wanderers and played for several clubs across the United Kingdom before appearing for either Tranmere or Rovers. The defender spent time on loan at English team Bradford City and had three separate spells at Northern Irish outfit Derry City, playing 116 times for the Candystripes. Additionally, he also represented fellow Northern Irish outfits Institute and Lisburn Distillery, as well as the Scottish team Partick Thistle.
Playing outside of England between 2003 and 2010, McChrystal returned to the county when he moved from Derry to Tranmere Rovers in January 2004 on a six-month contract before then signing a new two-year deal at the end of the season. He played 44 times for the Super White Army, scoring one before moving to the Pirates in January 2013.
Heading into the 2014/15 Conference season, the defender was named captain by Manager Darrell Clarke and made 33 appearances in the fifth tier as the Gas gained promotion through the playoffs, with McChrystal playing all 120 minutes in Rovers' penalty shoot-out win over Grimsby Town following a 1-1 draw at Wembley.
McChrystal's time on the pitch was limited in the following campaign, only playing seven of the first 31 fixtures in League Two before featuring regularly towards the end of the campaign, helping Rovers finish just inside the automatic promotion places to gain promotion for the second straight season.
He was restricted to only four League One appearances the following season and departed the Club at the end of the campaign with 127 appearances in all competitions and two promotions to his name with the Pirates. McChrystal returned to Northern Ireland, playing for Crusaders and Derry City again before retiring.
Sam Finley
Finley moved directly from the Pirates to his current club, Tranmere. The midfielder came through at Everton and had spells at non-league outfits Southport and Warrington before signing for Welsh Premier League side The New Saints.
He spent five years at the club, winning four consecutive Welsh Premier League titles, two Welsh Cups, a Welsh League Cup and playing ten times in the Champions League qualifiers. In February 2015, he went on loan to Wrexham before moving permanently to AFC Fylde. He remained at the club for three seasons and helped them to promotion from the National League North in his first campaign at the club.
Finley then made the jump to Sky Bet League One, playing for Accrington Stanley and Fleetwood Town before joining the Gas in May 2021. He played 36 times for Rovers in the 2021/22 season and captained the Club in Rovers' 7-0 win over Scunthorpe, with Rovers clinching a dramatic promotion into the third tier.
He was named Club captain for the 2023/24 season, and across his three seasons at the Pirates, Finley played 121 times in all competitions, netting eight goals. The 33-year-old signed for Tranmere in June 2024 and has played 38 times.
Jeff Hughes
Hughes is one of the few players who played a significant amount of football for the Gas and Tranmere. The midfielder started his career at Northern Irish outfit Larne before moving to England in 2005, joining Lincoln City. He first made an impression on Rovers in 2007, scoring three goals against the Pirates across two legs in the playoffs, but the Gas still progressed to the final.
He made 68 appearances for Lincoln across all competitions before joining then-Championship team Crystal Palace. However, he struggled for game time and went on loan to Peterborough and the Gas, where he signed permanently in 2008. Hughes made 140 appearances for the Pirates in his three seasons at the Club, scoring his first career hat-trick against Dagenham and Redbridge in 2010 before leaving to join Notts County in 2011. Moves to Fleetwood Town and Cambridge United followed before going on loan to Tranmere in 2016, before signing a two-year contract with the Super White Army.
He made 95 appearances for Tranmere and gained promotion from the National League in 2018, playing the full match in the playoff final win over Boreham Wood. Hughes rejoined March in April 2018 and made 136 appearances for the club across his two spells.
Jake Garrett
Garrett did not play many games for the Pirates or Tranmere, but he represented both teams in the same season. Coming through the Blackburn Rovers academy, making 13 appearances in all competitions for the Blue and Whites in the 2022/23 season, before making a further 28 in the 2023/24 campaign, with the midfielder earning their Young Player of the Year award.
On the back of his successful campaign, he joined the Gas on loan but struggled to make his way into the side, making seven appearances before leaving the club to join Tranmere on loan in January, where he played 11 times.
